TRACTORS AND HORSES IN THE WINTER WHEAT BELT. 47. 
CHANGE IN COST OF POWER AND LABOR. 
In Table 53 is summarized for each area the average change in the 
combined cost of power and labor due to the use of the tractor. The 
cost of using the tractor for drawbar work and of keeping the work 
stock are shown in Table 46. The ‘‘cost of power with horses only”’ 
has been obtained by multiplying the average cost per head of keep- 
ing the work stock m each area as given in Table 29 by the number 
of ‘‘work stock if tractors were not used” as given in Table 49. The 
value of the saving in family and regular hired labor was obtained by 
crediting the reduction in labor on the farms which were not changed 
in size (Table 51) at $50 per month. 
It is seen that for all farms there was an average net increase in the 
combined cost of power and labor of $206 for the year. If the surplus 
work stock had all been sold and the cost per head of keeping the 
remaining ones not increased there would have been an average 
reduction of about $115 in the annual cost of power. The value of 
the feed consumed per head by the work stock on these farms where 
tractors were owned was on the average $4 less than that on the 85 
farms where tractors were not owned. If it were assumed that the 
cost per head of keeping the work stock would have been $4 greater if 
tractors had not been used a further saving of about $47 per farm 
would be shown. 
TABLE 53.—Changes in annual cost of power and labor due to use of tractor (averages), 
L921. 
Southern} Western | Northern All 
area. area. area. farms. 
Cost per farm of power for drawbar work, 1921: | 
BIRTECL CEO Trt fe Psy A ES is Saran sun bin, Jae w c/ayare creeie tee $588 $520 $357 $484 
WVIOEKES LOC Kee pasate rene Fe dee tons or ac ae acis ide Seg Hage 583 522 517 541 
TOD Soar 8s Se eS BSB ee Bee Be Oe ae eel ei eae iBalAl 1,042 874 1, 025 
Costofpower wichwhorses,on ly... - ...2: =... 2-522 -2-----2-2--- 765 767 662 749 
Increase in cost of power due to using tractor.................-- 406 275 212 276 
Saving in family and regular hired labor (at $50 per month)..-. 60 125 40 70 
Net increase in cost of power and labor due to using tractor. .... 346 150 172 206 
As shown in Tables 32, 33, and 44, both the cost of using tractors 
and the cost of keeping work stock were lower in 1922 and 1923 than 
in 1921. Table 54 compares the average change which would have 
occurred in the annual cost of power and labor for the years of 1922 
and 1923 with the change shown in Table 53 for the year 1921, pro- 
vided tractors purchased at prices current in 1922 and 1923 had been 
used. It is seen that if tractors purchased at 1922 prices had been 
used on these farms during the year of 1922, the average net increase 
in the cost of power and labor due to using the tractors would have 
been $123, and if tractors purchased at prices current in 1923 had 
been used during the year of 1923, the average net increase in cost 
of power and labor due to using the tractors would have been $98, 
as compared with the average of $206 for the machines in use at the 
time of the investigation. 
